Cheika keen to 'de-power' scrums

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has joined the growing queue of Australians keen to de-power the scrum, as they struggle to deal with their set-piece deficiencies.

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has joined the growing queue of Australians keen to de-power the scrum, as they struggle to deal with their set-piece deficiencies.

The mentor of the Sydney-based franchise also allowed his frustrations to get the better of him, as he smashed a window at the Canberra Stadium after his team went down 23-28 to the Brumbies at the weekend.

Cheika is likely to get a big repaid bill, after he stormed out of his coaching box at the Stadium and shattered the laminated glass door.

His temper tantrum and his suggestion officials limit the time used for scrums to just 30 seconds are set to keep his named in the headlines longer than he anticipated.

The Waratahs fell agonisingly short of reeling in a 16-point deficit in the final 20 minutes of their Super Rugby loss in Canberra, and Cheika has no doubts what aspect of the game cost his side precious minutes to deliver the finishing blow over their grudge rivals.

"The amount of time it's taking to set the scrums. It's just taking far too long," Cheika said.

"You want the ball in, you want to play, but we wasted an unbelievable amount of time at scrummage.